Flying High


Its a good thing I'm missing a pulse- because my heart would have jumped out of my chest today had it been beating. I went sky-diving today. It wasn't something I planned on doing, but the advertisement was there, staring me in the face, and I couldn't resist. It was so not like me, that I just had to do it.

I ended up in a place called Mossel Bay. Definitely one of South Africa's beauty spots. I have to admit, right from the start, that I am a horrible tracker. Looking for Olek has been an utter failure, but I am starting to think that the trip is more for a personal adventure and less about finding Olek.

Honestly, it has a little something to do with Emmett's last words to me, when I stopped through to tell Rosalie and him that I was leaving for a while to go sightseeing in South Africa with Olek. Emmett straight out laughed at me. He told me there was no way I would last more than a week in Africa, and that I would be completely overwhelmed with all of the new ideas and different way of life. His exact words were that I would 'turn tail and come home.' Well- turn tail I will not. I am on a hell-bent mission to prove Emmett wrong. I am going to go home with stories of all the incredible things I did, and when I find Olek I am sure he will have plenty to tell and teach me, and there will be much we can do together. But I don't want to miss anything along the way. Forget Emmett and his bets of me 'turning tail'.

Anyway, sky diving was exhilarating. I jumped from about 10,000 feet high, and it was incredible. I thought running at great speeds, and jumping up high off trees or buildings and such was a rush- its nothing like jumping from a plane. It was absolutely beautiful to be as high as the clouds, floating down, with the wind whipping against my skin, the parachute guiding me downward. Wow.

I also went swimming with whales. There are no words for how amazing that was. They were so friendly- so completely unafraid of me at all- and so welcoming. They were beautiful to watch as they glided through the ocean water. They swam even more flawlessly than I did- and I was at peace watching them. I could have stayed down there forever.

My time in that town was so fun, so new and filled with great experiences. I hunted in an area cordoned off for a safari- probably against my better judgment, but I was starving with thirst after being stuck around tourists. It was a great day. Tomorrow I am headed out to another town. We will see where I land myself and what awaits me there. Perhaps I will rest, I could use an easy day. Or- maybe as luck would have it, I will actually find Olek. I guess we will find out tomorrow.

Hello


My trip has become extraordinary.  Every day of trekking through the safari wilderness of South Africa brings more adventure.  I stopped in a small village near the the Maluti-Drakensberg mountains yesterday for some camping supplies.

Almost immediately after stepping foot into the village, I noticed a vampire scent.  The village was very welcoming to me, probably noting me as a tourist, which is common in this area.  A nearby national park boasts some of the most beautiful mountains and cliffs man could possibly lay their eyes on.  Yet even as popular as the area is for tourism, the little village was tucked back where only a few tourists ventured, and only one vampire scent stuck out to me.

I wasn't familiar enough with Olek's scent to be sure if it was his, but being only one vampire scent, I was hopeful that I had found him.  I had spend two weeks in South Africa so far, and done all sorts of dangerous, incredible, and out-of-character things.  It was a blast, but I was eager to find Olek and have some company.  As unimaginably exciting as my trip had been so far, it grew boring being by myself- particularly at night when humans were often sleeping.

I ventured into the village, slapping a friendly smile onto my face and gesturing as best as I could to the locals there- who spoke little or no English- that I was looking for supplies.  I needed oil for my lantern especially.  While I was gathering supplies, I was searching for Olek as discreetly as possible.  I asked an elderly woman if she knew of a place I could pay money to sleep- I didn't know if they had a concept for hotel.  She nodded and pointed towards a small, run-down building.

As I looked at the building, a somewhat intoxicated Caucasian man stumbled outside.  I asked him if he spoke English and was relieved when he did.  He told me the building was a hotel of sorts, providing meals, bed space, bathroom accommodations and liquor to those with money.  He also laughed at my appearance- a blue button down shirt and khaki pants and told me it wasn't the Holiday Inn.  I thanked him for his time and went inside.

I looked around the place when I got inside- my eyes immediately adjusting to the much darker room.  It was dirtier and dingier than I expected, but not bad.  It looked like a very old fashioned bar, with tables along the outer rim, and a long hallway to what looked like rooms in the back.  I assumed the bathroom would be down the hallway as well.  I could desperately use a shower after hiking through the dirt for the last couple of days.  I had grown accustomed to Esme's spotlessly clean bathrooms at home and missed them terribly.

I walked up to the bar and placed a large pile of South African coins- which I was told were called a Rand- onto the counter.  Many people stopped and stared at me, causing me to feel a little stupid for about half a second.  I told the local man at the counter that I needed a place to stay for the night, hoping he spoke English.  He started to respond to me in his native tongue when an Egyptian looking woman with a tight black bun, tall, long limbs and very dark green eyes interrupted him.  I nearly choked on her perfume when she approached, and had to hold my breath, feeling grateful for the fact that I didn't need air to breathe.

"I will be glad to give you a room for the night.  You are very generous.  That kind of money pays for an entire week here, not just a night.  You are looking to get robbed flaunting that kind of money around here."  Her voice was enticing and familiar but I couldn't place it anywhere.

"I think I can handle my own, thank you."  I followed her down the hallway, where she put a key into a door and showed me inside to another dingy room.  There was a small bed, a small dresser, and a small table and chair.  There was a bowl for water and a cup.  It would suffice.

Unexpectedly, the woman grabbed me with an inhuman force and threw me flat against the wall.
"What do you want here?  Your kind is not welcome in these parts!"  She hissed.

A vampire.  But her eyes were green-  I could see now that they were fake, the red color was burning at the edges.  But how?


I swung around and overcame her. I tried to read her thoughts and process my own at the same time.  Her only concern seemed to be to get me out of her village.  She was determined to keep her existence here peaceful.  Peaceful- but her eyes were red.

"I am looking for a friend!"  I told her through hisses of my own.  We were wrestling with each other, rolling around on the ground now, neither of us overcoming the other, both seeming as strong as the first, neither wanting to cause damage and both wanting to keep the peace while at the same time make our point that we were stronger.  An impossible feat on all counts when it comes to vampires.

"Impossible.  We have no friends here!  Leave now before I tear off your limbs and burn them in a pyre!"  Her voice was nearly a whisper but our bodies were so entangled I heard every syllable perfectly.

Just as I was about to admit my mistake of confusing her scent with Olek's and telling her I'd leave, she demonstrated her point.  I heard my arm crack before I felt it. 

"What is going on here?"  Yelled a deep, angry voice.  "Let him go this instant!"  His voice boomed with authority, like a father speaking to a child.
"I- I'm sorry!"  The woman cried out, releasing me right away.  We both scuttled to opposite sides of the room before I looked up at my sudden savior.
 

As I saw who it was that had interrupted my losing battle, I was shocked, surprised, and relieved all at the same time.
"Olek!"  I called out to him- the woman gasping in surprise when I said his name.
But Olek just smiled, rushed to my side, and grabbed me in a rough hug.
Ignoring the fact that my arm was just nearly ripped off, I hugged him back.
"My good friend Edward!"  Olek greeted me with a smile.

And that was our absurd hello.


TO BE CONTINUED....

Olek


The situation I was currently in was unlike anything I had found myself in before- and being a vampire, that is saying a lot.

I was standing in a room where a woman had just revealed herself to me as a vampire and threatened to rip me from limb to limb if I didn't leave immediately.  My struggle to break free from her grip had resulted in nothing but a cracked arm and a bruised ego- not to mention immense curiosity towards this woman and her situation.  I had come here expecting to find my old vampire friend Olek but she was the vampire scent in the village instead.

Just when I thought the woman had me cornered, Olek burst in the room and ordered- yes ordered- the woman to release me from her grip.  It was a situation both embarrassing and relieving at the same time.
Olek was so happy to see me that both the woman vampire and I were completely caught off guard momentarily. 

Now that the moment of shock has worn off, I was swarming with questions.  So was the mystery woman.
"You know this intruder?"  The woman asked Olek with accusing eyes.  Olek smiled warmly and crossed the room to her, smoothing her hair for her and motioning for her to sit on the bed.  She obliged.

"Edward and I are friends from several decades ago.  His father, Carlisle, and I go way back from old times." Olek told her gently.  This seemed to calm the woman down.  Her thoughts were still angry and she was more worried about me exposing Olek and her than anything else, but she relaxed her posture and settled down further onto the bed.
"What brings you here, Edward?"  Olek asked me.  His red eyes crinkled at the edges with friendliness.  Olek could easily pass as a native here.  Although Olek was Albanian by heritage, his skin was dark and olive toned and he kept his hair in what Americans refer to as dred locks- long clusters or strands of hair stuck together in an almost braided fashion.  He had a short goatee to complete his dred lock look.  It was a look that suited him well- Olek was a free spirit.
"I came looking for you!"  I smiled.  "I needed a vacation, a good time.  Thought I would explore South Africa and see what your adventures had to offer."
"I see."Olek returned my smile, but his thoughts were lined with complications.  My visit would make things difficult for him.
"I am sorry if I came at a bad time."  I told him, glancing at the girl.  She had been watching our conversation with total curiosity. 
"No, not at all.  Its just that Meena here worries about being exposed.  She trusts no-one."  Olek reassured me.  His thoughts seemed to hide something, but Olek knew about my power and would be careful of his thoughts. 
He addressed his next words to the girl:  "Meena- Edward here is our friend.  He will not expose us, and he does not feed on humans, so you needn't worry, dear."  Again the authority was in Olek's voice.  I was curious about that, but thought it was far too early to be asking questions about his personal affairs.

We left the room and did some local sightseeing after that.  Olek showed me around his little village.  It was rather nice, a quaint little place with everything one would need to make a home.  He told me that Meena and he had been living there for about ten years now off and on, and occasionally would pass on to another village a few hours away and come back every few years.  People here didn't question much about foreigners so they didn't wonder about things like aging.  They felt at home here, but would probably pass on in a few years, as we all do.  Meena wanted to get every last second out of her stay as possible, as she felt most at home here.  Something in this made me feel that this was her first home as a vampire, but I didn't ask.

When the locals started turning in for the night, we returned to Olek's house.  It was a little hut type house towards the back of the village, but held quite a few ameneties considering its size.  It had more than any vampire would need.  We stayed all night, telling stories from the old days, amusing Meena with tales of past visits, and Olek amusing us both with tales of his and Carlisle's adventures together.  It was a fun time. 

I will write again tomorrow. I am sure it will be adventure-filled, as Olek has promised me something fun.  I am also going to start asking questions and being nosy.  What I can't uncover with my thought-digging, I will with my questions.  I am too curious about Olek and his new friend.  It is a rather interesting relationship.  Be back soon.

Olek's Story



Olek took Meena and I out exploring the Maluti-Drakensberg mountains today, mostly so I could hunt.  I have not seen them hunt since I have gotten here, although they did leave me once or twice, perhaps that is what they were doing.  While in the mountains, Olek opened up to me, finally, and told me more about his past than I ever expected to learn.

Olek's story is so extraoardinary that I really haven't soaked it all in yet.  I haven't heard the whole thing, as it seems to be quite the tale, but he has promised to tell me more.  What he has told me so far however, has left me completely astounded.  Where shall I begin?  I suppose I should start where he did.

We had climbed this large set of rock formations and gathered our way into a set of cliffs where Olek promised me a small herd of wildebeast would be gathered.  We got there and I had my fill of some of the most exotic tasting animal blood yet, and we sat down to relax under the warmth of the South African sun.  It was about mid-day and we were all in a fairly good mood.

We had been telling stories the whole morning about our pasts, little tales of this and that, I shared stories of my darker days, visits from the Volturi and the run-in with Julia's coven.  Some stories Olek already knew but didn't mind hearing again, others he was hearing for the first time.  He shared stories with me as well.  Once we sat down in the small clearing, however, I popped the question I had been dying to know.

"So where do you fit into Olek's life, Meena?"  I asked.  
Meena was unually quiet all day long, but she was in good spirits just as well.  She looked at me in surprise and quickly turned to Olek. 

"Meena is my daughter."  Olek answered me.  I was as caught off guard by his question as I was by the truth in his thoughts.  She was his biological daughter.  He didn't tell me that aloud, but he was thinking it.
"Wow...." I murmured.  I was unsure how that was possible, as vampires cannot procreate.
"It was quite the complicated ordeal."  Olek told me.
"Are you an incubus?"  I asked him.
 Olek laughed at me, so hard he began rolling on the floor.  I am glad he found me amusing.  My mind was reeling with questions.  Carlisle would love to be here right now.
"No.  But the process of how she came to be was equally as complicated as the myth of an incubus might be."  Olek answered.
I looked at him inquisitively.  
"I impregnated her mother while I was still human."  Olek answered.  For the first time, I saw sadness in his eyes, and also bittnerness.  His thoughts told me he was very angry at the woman who carried Meena in her stomach.  
"That is a story I would love to hear."  I told Olek softly.  
"Perhaps another time."  He replied, "We should be on our way, it would look odd if we were trekking through the dark safari."

We climbed our way back to the edge of the mountainous cliffs and back toward the village.  I was dying to hear the rest of Olek's story.  How Meena had been concieved while Olek was human seemed almost impossible.  Both Meena and Olek were vampires, yet for most of the time that we had known Olek, he had not been with Meena.  It seemed odd.  

Meena sure treated him like a father, however.  At first, when Olek wasn't around, Meena was a woman- confident, strong and adult.  When Olek came she was very much like a child, ready to be told what to do, looking for approval, and so forth.  It was mind boggling. 

I must find out the rest of the story before I return home.  I feel like the cat who is just dying with curiosity, and as the saying goes- curiosity killed the cat.  Good thing I am immortal.  I should probably end this now so I can go find a telephone somewhere and call home.  I am sure they have been waiting for me to check in with them as it has been a few days and I certainly have a lot to share.

Meena



Some stories are so unbelievable that even when a vampire tells them, you don't know what to think. Hearing about how Meena was born was exactly that kind of story. I didn't think Olek was going to tell me, especially after the shut down the day before. So when he started explaining to me the story of what happened with Meena's mother, I was totally taken by surprise.

Olek had been human when he met Meena's mother. She had been human as well. Her name was Tirana and she was the most beautiful woman that Olek had ever laid eyes on. Her hair was long and flowing like silk, her eyes could pierce right through you with their passion. He had never felt such love and devotion as he did for Tirana. Tirana was from a local Illyrian tribe that inhabited the area. They were married not long after they met. Although Olek was Islamic, Tirana's tribe had converted to Christianity long ago when Christianity had swept through the area like a current fad. So to meet her wishes, they were married in the church and Olek was looked down upon by his people.

They left the area and started their lives in nearby Serbia. Life was difficult there, but they were happy. It was not long before Tirana was pregnant. Seven months into their pregnancy, they decided to take a stroll along the water. It was dark outside, but Tirana needed to stretch her legs and get some exercise. They were attacked and left for dead in an alleyway. However Olek was a smart man and knew enough to stop the bleeding of their wounds and keep them alive for four days. It was four days of utter agony for them both.

At the end of the four days, they both emerged completely healthy, wound free, and much more attractive than they had been before. Tirana was still pregnant, for which they were still grateful. She could still feel the baby kicking and wiggling around in her belly.

Olek and Tirana quickly noticed some changes about their bodies, however. They could move at inhuman speeds. They were extremely strong. They could hold their breath forever. They didn't seem able to inflict harm on each other. And their appetite for loving one another was insatiable. The worst was their craving for blood. Not sure how to deal with that, they began to feed off of homeless people in the streets, but Olek was always careful that they were not seen and the bodies were dumped in the water.

Scared that she would harm the baby, Tirana always made sure to eat plenty of regular food and drink a lot of water as well, despite the fact that it now tasted horribly. It took a while to notice that her belly had stopped growing. They started counting the days, the weeks and months. There was not much medical technology about having babies back then, but they knew enough to know that by now she was late in having the baby. They couldn't seek medical attention because they knew they were different than regular people and would be noticed.

After a year of staying permanently pregnant, Tirena and Olek came to the conclusion that there was only one choice- Olek would have to perform a Cesarean birth on Tirana by himself. He spent all day and all night for weeks studying medical journals and book after book on the subject. He tried to learn everything he could about giving birth- Cesarean births, complications, and anything related to labor and delivery in case they needed it. He wanted to take no chances with his wife and child.

Once he felt prepared, he broke into a local medical center and stole as many medical supplies as he could so that he could be ready for any possibility. Tirana and Olek took the supplies to an abandoned house nearby and got ready. He strapped her to the table and prepared her for surgery. Then he started to cut into her stomach. But there was no way to cut into her. Her skin was too hard, like stone. They should have expected this. He tried every tool he could find, even some from a hardware store, things made for cement, tile, metal. He felt cruel and like a fool for using these things on his beloved wife, but she begged him to take their child out of her body. It was no use. She remained pregnant. The baby just wiggled and kicked happily inside of her.

He unstrapped his forlorn wife from the table and they resigned from the idea that the baby would be removable from her body. That day forever changed Tirana. It forever changed their marriage. 



TO BE CONTINUED...

Meena pt2



Continued...

That day forever changed Tirana. It forever changed their marriage. After a while, Tirana shut down inside.  She couldn't stand the idea of being pregnant for eternity.  It was like a curse rather than a blessing.  Having some wriggling thing inside her body was torture for her.  A reminder of the family she could never have, a baby she could never see.  She lost herself when she realize she lost her baby.

Olek did the best he could trying to pull Tirana back to reality, but she had become bitter, hard and mean.  She eventually left Olek and went her separate way.  Olek then too became bitter.  Not with the poor, lost baby but with Tirana.  Tirana who couldn't move on.  He had given so much for his wife and his wife had left him.  Olek felt very angry with her, and when vampires have emotions, particularly young vampires, emotions are very strong for them.

Olek stirred with these hateful emotions towards Tirana for days.  He felt lost without her and angry that she had left, so eventually he went to find her.  When he found her, she had found another vampire coven and taken several lovers.  Seeing her this way, pregnant and with many other men, he became enraged.  A fight ensued and Olek destroyed all of Tirana's lovers, tearing them to pieces in his fury.  He then demanded that Tirana return with Olek, but she refused. 

Dismayed once again, Olek left, but he did not go far.  He watched her through the window, afraid she was up to something.  After he left, Tirana watched as the pieces of her lovers came back together again.  At first she seemed afraid but then she seemed very pleased.  Olek listened outside of the window as she told them of her new "plan."  She wanted to be pulled into pieces, have the baby taken out from inside of her, and then be put back together again, after the baby was killed so she could no longer be pregnant.

Olek was shocked and disgusted by her idea.  More so by the fact that he had given her this idea.  He was determined not to let anyone kill his child, and was going to do everything he could to stop her.  That night while all of the vampires were busy preparing for her ingenious plan, Olek grabbed each vampire as they came out of Tirana's room and tore them to pieces again, but this time he threw the pieces into a large fire at the edge of town that had been built by pillagers.  It was convenient and useful- the pieces did not put themselves back together again.

He quietly sneaked inside Tirana's room and climbed over her.  Assuming he was one of her many lovers, she didn't put up a protest until Olek had torn off the first limb.  Tearing her apart was more difficult mentally than it was physically.  The center of her body was the worst.  He had to break her in half in order to get the baby out.  Once the baby was out, he saw that it was a girl.  She was covered in fluid and shivering so he cut her umbilical cord and wrapped her in blanket.

Olek didn't have the heart to destroy Tirana so he left her there and took the baby.  He traveled north as far as he could and stopped for the night at a small inn.  A nice elderly woman named Meena gave him milk for the baby and extra blankets to wrap her in, as well as plenty of food and clean clothing for himself.  He knew the milk and food would do no good, but accepted it in kindness nonetheless.  He went out hunting shortly thereafter, bringing a container of blood back for the baby to drink.  The baby didn't want the blood, however.  She seemed repulsed by it and screamed relentlessly.  Unsure of what to do, he tried offering her the milk.  She drank it until her belly swooned and fell asleep peacefully in his arms.

Olek held his daughter and felt so much love he thought he would burst.  His daughter was human, although he had no idea how this was possible.  She had been in his wife's belly for nearly two years, and although the baby was slightly chubby, she didn't seem any different than a regular baby.  He thought perhaps the gods had blessed him.

His blessing didn't last long, however.  Tirana found him quickly and took the baby while he was washing himself clean.  She was standing in the room holding her when he emerged from the bathroom.  She taunted him for saving the baby, but there was love in her eyes- even for just a moment.  She asked Olek what he had named her.  Not wanting to tell her he hadn't chosen one yet- because he wanted Tirana to get attached to the baby- he told her the baby's name was Meena.  He pleaded with Tirana to stay and be a family again, to make things right.  Tirana considered him for a moment, with sadness in her eyes, but told him she could not stay after all that had happened.

She told him she was taking her baby and leaving.  She was gone before Olek could protest.  He spent many decades tracking Tirana and the baby, but never found them.  It made him very cultured and well traveled and eventually he figured that even if she hadn't killed the baby, Meena would have died from old age by then anyway and he gave up the search.  His outlook on life changed, and his interest in culture expanded.  He continued to travel and every once in a while he would get a glimpse of something and get excited about his search but he never found Tirana.

Then, one day he found Meena in a village in Turkey.  She was a vampire, and was twenty-two.  It was her name that he recognized, as well as her eyes.  A vampire named Meena couldn't be that common.  He asked her who her parents were, and she explained that she had never known her father, but her mother's name was Tirana and had died several decades ago.

From there a lot of story swapping went on.  Meena's life story was perhaps as interesting as the story of her birth.  But I will save that for another day.  I think my pen is running out.

Meena's Childhood



I started my journey to find Olek with the intention of having a fun vacation with an adventurous old friend. What I found instead was a good friend who had recently found his daughter after decades of giving up hope that he would ever find her. The story he unraveled before me was more surreal than I would have ever imagined- and I lived in a surreal story myself.

Yet even the story of how he met his wife and had this miracle child was nothing compared to how he lost and found his daughter again. I am so excited at the idea of calling Carlisle and telling him what I learned today.

Olek's wife Tirana had found Olek just shortly after he stole their child from her in hopes of sparing the baby's life. Tirana had plans of destroying the baby so that she could save herself from the fate of being forever pregnant- as women who become vampires while pregnant are fated to stay pregnant for eternity and Tirana couldn't stand that thought. However when Olek had learned of her plan, he destroyed all of her "helpers" and nearly destroyed Tirana as well, taking the baby and running.

Olek sought refuge in the inn of a town he stopped at for rest, naming the baby Meena. Tirana found him and stole the baby while Olek was cleaning himself off and despite Olek's pleading, she took the baby and Olek never found them even after all the years of searching he did in all the countries of the world.

Tirana's every intent was to destroy the child- she even told Meena so herself, as they had a very honest relationship- but when she looked down at the beautiful baby she knew she could not do such a horrible thing to something so sweet and innocent. It had been something she created, something that came from inside of her, something she carried within her for so long, and something she made out of love. Realizing how much she suddenly loved this child, she took Meena as far from Olek as she could.

Tirana and Meena quickly moved to France. Tirana educated Meena in all the best of studies there. Art, music, humanities, math, literature, language. They had all the time in the world together, as Tirana could clean and cook while Meena rested and spend all of Meena's awake time together. They were inseperable and the best of friends.

However, when Meena turned eighteen she became ill. It was not certain for a while what was wrong with her. She was weak, she would vomit, and she would get nausious easily off and on. Then other days she would feel fine. Eventually it got worse and worse. By the time she was twenty she was bed-ridden. There was no way she was going to survive whatever had plagued her.

Tirana had promised herself long ago that she would not curse Meena with whatever had been done to her, but now that Meena was sick, she started changing her mind. The only problem was that she did not know how to turn Meena into a person like herself. She had heard whispers from others like herself when she was still pregnant, but after she had gotten Meena she avoided all those like herself. She pretended as much as possible to be human.

The only thing she knew to do was to bite Meena like the person who had bitten Olek and herself. With Meena so sick she was not sure Meena was strong enough to endure the pain that would follow for the next several days. She didn't have many other options, however. It was to die now from the transformation process, or die later anyway.

She discussed this idea with Meena and Meena agreed. She would get bitten, a small bite on the leg, nothing life threatening. They would keep another person nearby as bait so that Tirana could immediately feed on them instead when she smelled Meena's blood. They wanted to be as safe as possible.

The transformation process went as planned. It took two days for the venom to overcome Meena's sick system. She emerged beautiful, healthy and immortal. Not to mention she was no longer sick. What they didn't know was that a nearby vampire had caught wind of Tirana's questions about turning humans into vampires and had nosily come to investigate. While snooping around, the vampire had learned that Meena had long known about vampires and had only recently become one. This of course was a breach of vampire law- which Tirana had no knowledge of.

The vampire, without so much as introducing themselves, explaining themselves or otherwise to Tirana or Meena, went to the Volturi instead. They were all to eager to show the Volturi what they had learned about Tirana and Meena and their law breaking. The Volturi were quite happy to plan a visit out to Tirana's home in France to investigate the matter.

TO BE CONTINUED....

Happy Ending



Thanks to a lovely vampire and his spying abilities, the Volturi had become aware of Tirana and Meena.  They didn't know the entire story surrounding Tirana and Meena, but they did know that Meena had only recently become a vampire while seeming very comfortable with the idea of vampires. 

Had the vampire who had been passing through done more than merely spy, he would have realized that Meena and Tirana had no knowledge that there were Volturi or vampire laws to abide by.  Naturally, when the Volturi came to visit Tirana and Meena, they were quite taken by surprise.  They tried to explain themselves to the Volturi, but Aro is not one to make many exceptions.  Once he explained the vampire laws and how the women had broken them, they were immediately both sentenced to death. 

Terrified and devastated, the women clung to each other, begging the Volturi for forgiveness.  The Volturi's guard took Tirana first and destroyed her quickly.  When they reached for Meena, she was gone.  It was as though she had suddenly vanished. 

Meena didn't realize what was happening at first, as she stood in the circle of vampires, waiting for her turn to be taken.  When they started searching for her as though she wasn't there, she thought it was a trick to scare her even more.  After a few seconds she realized they were serious.  For whatever reason, the men surrounding her could not see her at all.  It was as though she was invisible. 

For a second Meena was scared to move, afraid the vampires would be able to see her again, that whatever magic would suddenly wear back off.  Then her instincts kicked in and she ran.  She pushed past several of the vampires and kept running as they shouted behind her, trying to decide where she was and what was going on.  Meena kept going until she was far away from her house, up out of her town, out past the hills and under the cover of some woods several miles away.

Thus began Meena's lonely life on the run.  She had never talked much about her father with Tirana because Tirana seemed very hurt by the subjet.  All she knew was that her father's name was Olek and he had been a good man until they had lost track of them.  She knew he was a vampire like her mother, but had no idea how to find him.  So she set about making a life for herself, travelling about the world and visiting different places.

She met her father in a small village in Turkey.  She was working as a bartender in a local inn and he recognized her name.  Her eyes had been covered with a sheer viel but for some reason he lifted them up.  When he saw their redness, he looked at her as though he knew her.  He told her his name was Olek and took off his sunglasses.  Meena nearly dropped the tray she was carrying and cried out in disbelief.  Of all the places in all the world, how could her father be here?

Olek told her he had been searching for her for since she had been born.  They did a lot of story telling and catching up, and I suppose that is where the story ends.  At least, that is where I come in.  Of course, I have told the whole crazy tale to the rest of the Cullens already.  Carlisle is fascinated.  Esme cried, as she always does with happy endings.  Alice said she wished Olek had told her sooner so she could have tried to help search for her with her visions.  Jasper thinks Alice is just being her typical self of course, and how could she have known?  I agree.  We can't fight everyone's battles.

I am happy that this all worked out for Olek.  I am also eager to return home.  Hearing his story has made me more grateful for my own family and I miss them being way out here on the other side of the world.  It is a valuable lesson to learn- I left home needing a break from things and while gone realized how precious my family really is.  I will start making preparations to return home immediately.  So until then, I will be back.

Moving On



What once was, so shall it be again. I think those are famous words. It felt that way walking back through my Chicago home. My family greeted me with open arms, Esme, Carlisle, Alice and Jasper all waiting for me to return like I was a soldier back from war. If only I could do such good deeds. I would never be such a wholesomely helpful person, although in my own ways, I suppose I tried my best to manage with what cards I had been dealt.

Coming home was the most wonderful feeling I had experienced in a long time. Alice prepared a party for me- as Alice loves to do- and we all reminisced about the things that had happened both abroad and in Chicago while I was away.

The best part of the day was when Emmett and Rosalie came to the door with their bags in hand and a moving van full of a load of their belongings. They were coming to stay with us again.

I heard Emmett's thoughts before he even got to the door, pulled the door open before he knocked and rammed him headfirst in a football-style move. It was a welcome only he would appreciate. Rosalie grunted at us in disgust and went inside to drop her bags in the foyer.

Once things had calmed some, I learned why Rosalie and Emmett were returning. I was the last to find out, everyone else had expected their arrival but saved it as a surprise for me.

Rosalie and Emmett had decided to return to Chicago and come back to live with the Cullens in part because Rosalie was bored with herself and in part because Emmett was having a little trouble sticking to the vegetarian diet. Not that he had been feeding off of humans left and right or anything, but there had been a man who smelled particularly appealing to Emmett and he decided to drink his blood.

The man had no clue what was going on, and Rosalie swooped in fairly quickly to stop Emmett but it was too late. They ended up having to burn the body and hide the ashes- as they would a vampire, since they didn't know what else to do. The experience left Rosalie so upset she didn't want Emmett to taste human blood again.

Edward knew that Emmett had tasted human blood on 2 or 3 prior occasions throughout his vampire life but wasn't sure if Rosalie knew about them or simply ignored the incidents. She was very proud of her own ability to resist human blood and expected Emmett to do the same. Emmett was more laid back- in every way- and although he respected the vegetarian diet and the reasons for it, sometimes he caved in every few decades or so and wasn't too hard on himself for it.

Everyone else seemed to be fairly understanding as well. Restraining from human blood was nearly impossible, and Emmett wasn't the king of self-restraint. He did remarkable well 99 percent of the time as it was.

Anyway, I was psyched to have them back home. On another note, we all re-enrolled in high school on the other side of town. We didn't want to leave Chicago just yet, and since we weren't really the neighborly type, we simply relocated our teenage selves to another high school. It was a private school, which meant we wouldn't stick out like sore thumbs, and I was looking forward to that.

Carlisle kept his hospital job, since adults age much slower than kids, we figured we were good for a while with him. It was weird- on one hand life seemed to start over for us again, as it does every so often for us- and on the other hand things were just the way they used to be.

Well as you can imagine today was an exciting day. I am going to go out hunting and then take some time to relax, read a book, or maybe just have a long talk with Carlisle about something new. I'll be back with details about the new school later.

Private School



Us Cullen kids started private school today. It was interesting, because we actually blended in there. We drove our fancy cars to school, but other kids had better ones. We wore our regular clothes- without trying to fit in- and other kids actually looked cooler. Not even Alice was the ultimate trend-setter when it came to having the newest, the hottest, and the most expensive clothing fresh off the rack. I think it bothered her, but she didn't let it show.

The rest of us were relieved not to be stared at all day, me especially. I could breeze through the thoughts of other students without having to worry about hearing our names, and even though we were a big group of new kids, no one really cared. This was a group of self-indulged, high society teens. They were wrapped up in their own lives.

That's not to say they weren't nice, or friendly. They were. In fact, we blended in so well that people were trying to make friends with us left and right. Emmett tried out for the football team- against my advice. He wanted to be a linebacker. Rosalie decided it was funny and encouraged him to do it.

We all got the same lunch period, at least, so we stuck together at lunch- as usual. I was my typical brooding self and tried hard not to make any friends. A couple of jocks tried to befriend me in fourth period, but I wasn't overly welcoming. I'm not the friendly type.

I did find it interesting, however, when one of the jocks who had talked to me caught my attention later in the afternoon. He was talking to a very pretty freshman- whom I was pretty sure was named Jaymie. Jaymie was excited because he was a senior, and a senior talking to a freshman was a big deal.

Jaymie was very cute, with short brown hair in a choppy cut similar to Alice's and bright green eyes. She was a very trendy dresser, and into sports- which was probably what caught the jock's attention. I think the jock's name was Adam. From what I could tell from Jaymie, she seemed outspoken and fun loving. Hard to tell from her thoughts, but she was definitely upbeat at the moment.

Adam was your typical blond, blue eyed, big muscled, football defense player who thought sports were ultimate and school was lacking. He wasn't the brightest, but seemed like he could barely pass his classes at least.

What caught my attention was when I heard him ask Jaymie to go out with him after school to a movie and dinner on Friday. It was his thoughts that made me stop in my tracks and listen. Not that his thoughts were much different than most other teenage boys, but he wanted to impress Jaymie- so he figured he would take her to dinner and then skip the movie and go to a make-out spot in the woods instead. Jaymie was stoked to go on a date with the senior, and Adam was excited to take out such a cute girl.

I made a mental note of this because I sometimes go hunting in the same general area that Adam was thinking of for his make-out spot and am about due for a feeding. I told myself to remember to avoid that area- the last thing I needed was to come across some young innocent kids while tearing open a deer. It wouldn't be easy to explain to them, and I wasn't ready to move towns yet.

Anyway, the rest of the school day was fairly uneventful. No one else was very remarkable, and not much else happened aside from hearing a date be made in my hunting spot and Emmett stupidly sign up for football. What is it with football around here anyway? Oh well, I guess I'm not the sports type so I wouldn't understand.

I will be back later after I have more to write about.

Bad Feeling



Have you ever known something was wrong before it was? Today I had a bad feeling nagging at me all day, something I just couldn't shake off. Particularly after school.

I left the house with this feeling of dread, which is rare for a Friday. Normally us Cullens "rise" with a feeling of joy and gratitude on Fridays. We have the weekend to look forward to- the chance to be ourselves and relax, do whatever we want to do, whenever we want to do it. No chances of being exposed, looked at wrong, suspected of anything, or anything else.

So this morning I should have been feeling great. But instead I was heavy with this feeling like something was wrong, but no matter what I did, I couldn't figure it out. I had Alice on the lookout, but she didn't see anything going wrong with any of us, and nothing seemed to be going on with the Volturi as far as we were concerned.

I went through my school day like usual. Emmett and I had our usual morning class English together and we all sat together for lunch. I still had a bad feeling. After school, I went home and skipped hunting. Then it hit me- I had decided to avoid hunting that day because that Adam kid had asked out Jaymie and was planning to take her to my general hunting area to make out.

The bad feeling I was having seemed to double. I threw my jacket on and dashed out the door. I ran as fast as I could to the general area where I hunt, thinking of the spot he had planned on taking Jaymie. I wanted to make sure he wasn't pressuring her to do anything she wasn't comfortable with. She was a couple years younger than he was, after all.

When I got to the spot, they weren't there. I might have gotten there early, so I headed back along the road, thinking I would go check some of the local restaurants, tracking his thoughts until I found them and made sure she was alright. I wasn't as intuitive as Alice, but something told me Jaymie was in danger.

About three miles down the road, I saw Adam's car. Or should I say Adam's father's car. It was a red Buick LaSabre smashed around a tree. The tree was the only keeping the car from going off a small ledge and into a pond. The road was too secluded to have any type of barrier between the pond and the cars. The car was completely smashed into the tree on the passenger side, and the driver side door was wide open. My gut feeling of panic intensified.

Even from a mile away I could tell that Jaymie was trapped in the car and bleeding. Adam was nowhere in sight. How hurt Jaymie was, I had no idea- there seemed to be a decent amount of blood and I was trying hard not to smell it. Very hard. I ran full force to the car, whether she saw me or not, and slowed down right before I got to the back end. I peered carefully into the open driver's side door.

Jaymie was bleeding from her forehead and her nose. She was barely conscious and struggling to unbuckle her seatbelt with shaky fingers and blurred vision. Her thoughts were panicky and she was bouncing back and forth between thinking that she needed to get out of the car and being angry that Adam had left her. From her thoughts it seemed as though Adam had lost control of the car and taken off running out his driver side door as soon as he realized the car was damaged. Jaymie wasn't even sure if he checked to see if she was hurt before he ran.

I was furious. I was planning ways to kill the boy before I found him, of course, trying to talk myself out of it at the same time. I took one last deep breath of fresh air and held it, stuck my head into the car and unbuckled Jaymie's seat belt. I took hold of her as gently as I could and lifted her carefully out of the car. She looked at me, dazed, and wondered how I had gotten there and why I was helping her. I had never spoken a word to her in school before. I wouldn't start now.

I didn't smile, I didn't say hello, and I didn't explain myself. I carried her, at a human pace, back to my car. Then I drove her to Carlisle at the hospital. Carlisle looked at me like I was crazy for a moment when he first saw us. His thoughts were full of wonder- did I hurt her, why did I bring her to him? I explained quietly in the hallway that I didn't trust another doctor, and I didn't want her to wait in the ER to be seen. It would take too long. I felt guilty for walking instead of running as it was. He understood. I could have exposed myself by running.

I didn't tell him I needed Carlisle to keep me calm and distracted. I wanted to hunt Adam down and rip him limb by limb. Carlisle seemed to know me better than I expected of course, because he made a few phone calls while he was waiting on X-rays and lab results for Jaymie and had Alice and Jasper keeping me company in no time. We all sat in the waiting room, hoping Jaymie would be okay. I wished I knew her last name so I could call her parents, or let someone know where she was.

I knew I would deal with Adam later. There was no way this would go unpunished. You don't leave a girl to die, and expect nothing to come of it. Of course, Carlisle had an answer for that, too.


TO BE CONTINUED....

All is Well That Ends Well



After pulling a helpless, bleeding teenager from a wrecked car, what do you do? I felt helpless for the first time in my long life, defenseless. I am nearly indestructible, immortal and physically flawless and yet I sat here waiting to find out Jaymie's condition like the frail human I used to be- long, long ago.

It would have made me feel much better if I was out exacting her revenge on the boy who had put her in this condition. I wasn't exactly sure what revenge would be. He wasn't a bad kid, overall, and people make mistakes- especially teenagers. So I wouldn't have done anything irreversible to put it in gentle terms. But at the very least I would have made sure that he understood his actions and their consequences.

Carlisle was one step ahead of me, both on Jaymie and on Adam. Having had decades of fatherly experience under his belt, he had called the school and found out the full names of both students immediately after stabilizing Jaymie and moving her to a more formal area of the hospital. Jaymie's parents rushed to her side as soon as they were contacted. They seemed like warm, loving people, with a mother who gushed tears over her bedside and a father who held it all together like the rock of the family. A little brother about three or four years old ran around the room, playing with various things, getting into whatever he could find and making for a nice distraction.

Alice, Jasper and I just sat outside in the hallway waiting room and waited. I wasn't leaving until I knew she would be alright. I felt responsible, like if I had done something to prevent her from going when I first heard them making these plans this never would have happened.

As far as Adam was concerned, Carlisle reported the accident to the police that patrol the hospital, who called it in properly. From what I understand from the thoughts of Carlisle and the hospital's officers, who keep checking in for updates, it didn't take long to get Adam into handcuffs and down to the station for a statement and a confession. They found the car right where I had left it as well.

Of course, I was questioned a few hours after that, because they wanted to know who pulled Jaymie from the car. Not that I minded, I wanted to do all I could to throw the book at Adam and get him into trouble for what he did.

A few hours after bringing Jaymie in, she was up and talking. They were able to get her side of the story- that Adam didn't even have a license, only a permit, and had "borrowed" his father's car for the evening. When he told her this, she got angry and wanted to go home. His bad driving worsened when he got angry in return, and that is when the car met the tree.

A few stitches in the forehead and an arm sling later, Jaymie went home with her parents and younger brother. Us Cullens, with the exception of my hard-working father, went home as well. It was a rough day, that worked out in the end I suppose. I was glad- for once- to not be human, to not be so weak and breakable. I was grateful to have the ability to heal, to be hard as stone, and to have known how to save a life. I did something good. Maybe I'm not such a monster. Maybe.

Distraction


Life has been pretty quiet since Jaymie's accident. I keep reliving that experience in my mind though. What if I hadn't gotten to her in time? What if I hadn't had the will power not to kill Adam for what he did? What if I hadn't had the will power to not kill Jaymie simply because I was thirsty? What if someone started asking questions as to why I was the right place at the right time? Way to many "what ifs" for my taste. Carlisle keeps telling me that no one is suspicious, Jaymie is perfectly fine and I should relax. I know he is right and I must find a way to relax.

Trying to cheer me up, Jasper has asked me to go hunting with him. He keeps trying to go longer and longer without hunting. Building his resistance as he calls it. I personally feel that it's not wise. While Jasper is anything but weak, he does seem to struggle more then the rest of us with the vegetarian diet.

I agreed to go with him on this trip. Lets face it, I needed something to take my mind off things. We are heading to one of our favorite hunting spots. Its about a hour outside in Chicago with lots of trees and lots of Whitetail deer. We invited Alice along but she turned us down.

Alice and Esme have some new project they are working on. I haven't really paid much attention to the details but whatever it is, it's keeping Alice at home for this trip. Not a big deal really, a nice trip alone with Jasper is what I need anyway. I know he feels how much I'm struggling with everything that occurred. It just keeps nagging at me and I'm not sure why.

Jasper keeps honking the horn. Will write more when I get back from the trip. I must remind him that "Patience is a virtue".

The Hunt




What started out as a normal hunting trip didn't end like one. Everything was calm and peaceful. Exactly what I needed to get my mind off the accident. Jasper and I decided that along with the hunt we would actually enjoy camping for once. Two men (so to speak) roughing it in the woods. Living off the land. The perfect distraction and it had worked.


For two days we enjoyed hunting deer and even did some fishing. Not traditional fishing of course but it was fun playing in the water. Honestly fishing without a pole is really quiet difficult. Specially when the fish are completely frightened of you.


On our third night we decided it was time to pack up and head home but we would land one more deer before we left. Normally I'm not the betting type but I figured what the heck when Jasper bet me he would get a deer before I would. We set out on the hunt. All was quiet when I caught the scent of a deer. I immediately took off. Jasper was right on my heels. I was nearly to the deer when I caught a different scent. I stopped dead in my tracks. The smell was so wonderful it could only be human.


Jasper caught the scent as well. Before I knew it Jasper was off. While I'm faster, Jasper was closer and got to the human before I could. It was to late by the time I got there. Jasper had already bitten. I hated hearing his thoughts. He was so upset that he lost his control but at the same time the taste of human blood elated him. He craved this taste so frequently and actaully getting to feel the warmeth of the blood run down his throat was almost more then he could handle. There was no stopping him. He had drained the human within a minute. It was fast even for a vampire.


No sooner had he finished did the guilt set in. I helped him clean up the mess. We made it look like an animal attack. It looked like there was only one hiker so we felt this was the best way to camoflage a situation like this. The whole time we worked Jasper kept thinking he was weak and he had let Alice down. I felt sorry for him. I knew the struggle well.


Without a word we got into the car and headed back home. Jasper knew we would have to tell everyone what happened. Heaven knows Alice had probably already seen it. I just hope he can forgive himself.

Guilt and Forgiveness




When arriving home Alice was waiting in the driveway for us. While parking the car in the garage, Jasper was thinking, "She knows!" I knew he was right. Besides seeing the disappointed look on her face I also got the screaming thought from Alice of "How could you let this happen Edward!" It's not like I had done it on purpose. I didn't go seeking humans for Jasper to hunt. It just simply happened. The bad thing was she was more upset with me then she was with Jasper. Even though she seen everything that occurred, she felt like I should have taken more precautions.

Maybe she was right. I honestly don't know. We got out of the car and she flew into Jasper's arms. She comforted him while the entire time mentally scolding me. I was starting to get really upset. The whole point of this trip was to get my mind off things and instead I come back to being in more trouble then I was worth. However getting upset would get me no where and I knew it. She loved Jasper and it was easier to blame me then it was to blame him.

We got inside the house and everyone was there. Jasper was accepted back with no qualms as to what happened. Emmett made his usual jokes, Rosalie had her usual superior scowl and Carlisle and Esme immediately forgave the incident. While he still felt the guilt of what he did, it seemed much easier now that everyone, especially Alice, had forgiven him so easily. I could hear Carlisle's encouraging thoughts for me not to worry about this and there was nothing I could have done to prevent this. I knew he was proud of how I took care of Jasper when he needed me most. I could also hear Esme's pride & concern for both of us in her thoughts.

I admit I envy Jasper at times. I wish I could be lucky enough to find someone who could love me so unconditionally the way Alice does him. What am I thinking? I'm a monster. There is no one for me.

Well I'm off to catch up on homework. Tomorrow will be the first day back to school since the accident. Maybe something interesting will happen.

AfterMath




After the 'love-fest' and forgiving Jasper for his accident was over, I went upstairs to be alone with my thoughts. I figured I would do some homework, listen to some music and maybe read. All things that keep me calm. It was working until I heard Esme watching the news. I went downstairs to see what had her so upset.

Everyone was gathered around the TV. Alice was holding Jasper tightly and there it was on the news. A story about the missing hiker. There was a major search party for him. He just so happened to be the mayor's son. The mayor announced that he was offering a very large reward for his son's find and return. In that moment we all knew what needed to be done.

Immediately Carlisle went upstairs to resign his post. I was calling the movers to get the house packed up. Esme started going through everything deciding where we would move to next. Rosalie and Emmett went off to hunt. Alice took Jasper upstairs to get him calmed down. It was moving day and we all had our jobs to do.

I heard Esme thinking we should just go back to Denali. It had been awhile since we lived there. I personally thought it was a good idea. I couldn't stand the thought of going through high school again so soon. As always by the time the movers arrived everything was packed that needed to packed. We normally leave the houses furnished and just take the things that are personal.

Carlisle agreed that we had been gone long enough from Denali that it would be a great place to go. So we directed the movers to our new destination and set out for our new home.

I made sure to stop by the school before leaving town. I wanted to check one more time on Jaymie before leaving Chicago. I knew she had been through a lot and I felt in a way that she was my responsibility. I walked in the halls feeling sort of nostalgic and looked into her classroom. Her thoughts were content and happy. I was completely relieved by that. She seen me looking in the classroom and gave me a shy wave. I smiled and waved back. Her thoughts thanked me again as she smiled and turned her attention back to the front of the class. In that moment I knew she would be ok and turned around and left.

So here we are going to Denali. I'm excited but at the same time I'm worried. I'll have to face Tanya again. I wonder if she has gotten over her obsession with me? I'll write again when we get there.

Vacation Begins




None of us wanted to leave our cars behind so we each took a seperate vehicle to Denali. This was going to be a pretty long trip and so Esme and Carlisle decided they wanted to use it as a sort of mini-vacation. They wanted to stop off at several tourist sights along the way. It actually sounded like a lot of fun to me so Jasper, Alice and I agreed to stop with them. Emmett and Rosalie were ready to get to Alaska and settle down so they kept on driving.

Our first stop was Minneapolis. Alice was dying to go to the Mall of America and since Alice always gets her way, we went. The place was enormous. Even as a vampire I figured it would take at least a few days for me to be able to take this place in. Alice immediately went to shopping. Carlisle and Esme enjoyed the arcitecture of the mall. Jasper and I felt like little kids going to Disney World with our parents in this place. Most of the time Carlisle and Esme just rolled their eyes at us.

We shopped. We went to see several movies and we even rode on the roller coaster. This is the trip that Jasper and I should have taken in the first place. We had no worries. We actually had a lot of fun. All in all it was a great way to spend a couple of days.

We hit the road again tomorrow. Heaven knows where we will stop next.

Canada





Next stop, Saskatoon, Canada...

We got into Saskatoon very early in the morning, so it only seemed proper to stop at a hotel and tidy up a bit. The country is so vast and beautiful. The early morning sun rise cascaded a beautiful ring of light across the mountains. There is plenty of wide open space and wildlife which makes this area ideal for hunting. We all need to feed rather soon anyway. Traveling as we have been, while it has been fun, has also caused us to put our normal habits on hold. We don't want to take any chances of another accident.

Upon entering the hotel, I felt an immediate uneasiness. The minds of almost everyone there seemed be normal. Everyone noticed us right away but there was one woman who's thought struck me as odd. It almost seemed as though she wanted to hide from us. Little did she know that I could hear what she was thinking. Besides, we all could smell her. She was definitely not human.

She was hiding in the kitchen and praying we could smell her over the horrible smell of eggs cooking. She kept thinking that 'they' would never suspect her being this close to humans without hunting. Her thoughts seemed to think that whoever 'they' are...we were part of them. She assumed we were after her and if we caught wind of her she would need to make a run for it.

I made sure to relay this information to Carlisle quickly. I wanted us to hold off on introducing ourselves to this vampire. Her thoughts were so scattered it made me think she was a rather young vampire, not a newborn, but all the same very young. I searched for a hint of who she might be so afraid of but she hid those thoughts rather well. I could only think of one group that might scare a vampire this badly - The Volturi.

I know Esme was a little upset that our vacation has been interupted by this detour but if its the Volturi she is afraid of, I don't want us anywhere near here when they come for her.

Well it looks like we are off to hunt in the Meewasin Valley. Afterward I think I'm going to try and probe our new 'friends' mind to see what she is really up too. The more information I get the better off we will be.

Investigation





Leave it to me to be nosey and not know how to stay out of someone elses business. Trust me when I say that being a mind reader is not all that is cracked up to be. Most people think that if you could read people's minds that there is no limit to what you can do in the world. While there is some logic to that thinking most people don't take into account the secrets you carry as well.

Never have I felt this burden as much as I have today. After hunting we came back to the hotel. Carlisle and Esme wanted some private time and Jasper and Alice decided to do the same. That left me completely alone and so my nosey nature and utter boredom took over. I began to investigate the vampire that was 'hiding' out in our hotel. It wasn't hard to catch her scent and get a read on her mind.

She was still being cautious of our presence. She felt threaten by how large our coven was and kept thinking that 'they' had to have sent us since there were so many. The one thing that puzzled her was our eyes. She had never seen vampires with yellow eyes and it bothered her.

I followed her most of the day. She was actually quite pretty and obviously very young in the vampire world. However she had such a control over mind that she astounded me. She knew I was following her but she wasn't going to make any sudden movements for fear of me finding out who she was. She still kept her thoughts closed to me and after pretty much spending my whole day watching her I decided it was time to make my move.

Boy was that a bad idea...

Stranger


I found myself wanting to know more about this new vampire that we had stumbled upon, and so I sneaked into her room while she was out, thinking that I would wait for her when she returned. I knew that she would smell me as she got near, and I figured she would confront me. Either that or run. It was a gamble I was willing to take.

I didn't expect her to catch me off guard, however. It usually doesn't happen considering I can read minds, smell from such long distances, and hear from even farther than I can smell. So when she climbed silently through the open window, sneaked up on me with her newborn speed and grabbed me before I could turn around, I was speechless. This vampire was fast- even by newborn standards. She was so fast I couldn't even read her thoughts before she made a move.

Surprisingly though, she didn't attack me, she just stood before me, her hands up in an open "no war" gesture. Her mind was blank, not the kind of blank as though I couldn't read her mind at all, but blank as though she was trying not to think of something she didn't want me to know, like the ocean or the grass, something neutral. This told me she at the very least knew about vampires being able to read minds- not surprising considering her amazing speed. But did she know that I- in specific- could read her mind?

"I know who you are." She said, as if answering my question.
I didn't have time for the next question to form in my brain before she spoke again.
"I have many talents and skills- some of which you have yourself. But I am new and still learning to use them."
"Why were you afraid of us when we got here?" I asked her.
She looked at me, her eyes wide at my question, but then she smiled. The more I was around her, the more she relaxed her mind to me and I was able to see through the blanket of fake thoughts she kept throwing out to me.
"My makers felt I had outgrown them. I was becoming a threat to them that they didn't like. My morals got in their way." She said ruefully.
"Who were your makers?" I asked her, smiling my most charming smile.

I walked around to the other side of the small hotel room, opened the door of the small hospitality fridge and looked inside. She had several little rodents in small cages in there, alive but obviously very cold. Snacks? Her eyes were red not amber like ours. I took one out and fed on it, an ungracious display of making myself at home in her room. Leaving it alive, however, I put it gently in its cage and set it on the table, so it could warm up from the cold fridge. I wanted her to know I was comfortable around her, not worried. Whether or not it was working, I wasn't sure.
The mysterious vampire smiled at me, obviously taken aback by my behavior, but didn't answer my question.

"No one that you would want to get involved with." She said after a long moment.
"May I ask your name?" I asked her. She shook her head no.
"Now if you don't mind, I've been here in peace for some time, and I would like to remain in peace. If you did not come to harm me, I would like you to leave." Her words were spoken nervously, but she tried to sound as though she could put up a fight if necessary. I wasn't fooled.
"We mean you no harm. We are simply passing through. We will be gone in the morning." I told her.
She nodded to me and showed me the way out of her room.

Little did I know, she had other plans for our future.

The Plan



When Alice had the vision I almost didn't believe it. It was so brazen of this new mystery vampire I thought Alice had to be wrong. But Alice is never wrong. So we took what she saw in her vision and used it to the best of our advantage.

For the time being we were calling this new vampire "Jane," as in Jane Doe. It was easier than just not calling her anything. After my talk with Jane, things were peaceful for the rest of the night, but about midnight, Alice burst into my room with her face full of fear.

"I sent Jasper to get Carlisle and Esme." she thought to me as she came through my door so quickly only my vampire eyes would have known she was there. She held open the door and sure enough, before a second had passed, the other three had slipped inside my room, filling it up with their familiar and comforting scents.

"Alice what's wrong?" I said back to her, aloud.
She answered me in a quiet whisper, just loud enough for the vampire ears in this room to hear and no-one else: "Jane is planning to attack and kill us all tonight- and her plan is pretty fail-proof, except for the fact that I saw it ahead of time."

We all took a moment to look at each other in astonishment. Last I saw her, Jane was comforted by the fact that we were leaving and there was peace between us. Whoever taught her to think of oceans and bricks and blocking ideas when I was around was smart. She had gotten past my defenses and tricked me.

"What is her plan?" Carlisle asked, his face serious and steady. To Carlisle, a vampire battle was something he would avoid at all costs, but at the same time something he was always ready for.

"Well, her basic plan is to get us all one by one, using her immense speed to catch us by surprise and her newborn strength to rip us apart. She's going to start with Edward." Alice grimmaced.

Carlisle sighed and sat down on my bed. "Well, now that we know, we can go to her together, and take care of her as a group." His words were sad, as though she were a friend and we were terminating an old friendship.

"I don't think its that easy." I started.
"She is incredibly fast and exceptionally strong." Alice finished, "And her plan keeps changing. She seems to know that we're ready for her."
"Well, what is one vampire against four?" Esme interjected.
Just then an image of a large city park popped into my head.
"I think we are about to find out." I answered.
As if on cue, there were three heavy knocks on the door.

TO BE CONTINUED.....

Plans Change



The three heavy knocks on the door caused us all to turn our heads quickly towards the sound. We all knew it was Jane on the other side. Even though she was small and seemed of little threat, we knew she was very dangerous.

We still weren't sure who had made her or how strong her powers were. We knew she was incredibly fast and could either read minds like me or had been told about me. She knew how to block her thoughts from me with blank ones of parks or oceans and such. Even worse, she had just changed her plan of attack against us to what seemed like the direct approach.

While this seemed easy- it was four vampires against one- we were in a crowded hotel full of innocent humans and had no idea what or how many powers she held. I suppose we were about to find out. On the bright side, I did still have my power, considering she didnt keep it blocked the whole time.

We opened the door and let Jane in. She flew in with such a flurry that we barely saw her as she raced past in unmatched speed and grabbed Emmett's neck from behind, ready to pull his head off- a surefire way to destroy a vampire so long as you burn the pieces later.

Her speed was incredible, but she had not accounted for Emmett's strength. While not the strength of a newborn, he was much stronger than she expected, and he grabbed her arm and twisted himself out of her hold faster that she seemed to expect. While she was taken by surprise, we were all able to surround her and pin her on the bed in a quick moment of solidarity.

Our hold on her did not last long, however, as we all suddenly dropped to the ground in piercing agony. Where the pain came from or why it hurt so badly I had no idea. I just wanted it to stop. Jane stood over us with a slight smile on her face, and after a moment the pain suddenly stopped. None of us moved from our crouched positions on the floor. We just stayed exactly where we were, waiting for it to start again, prepared.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Jane asked in a gentle voice, more gentle than I had ever heard her speak before. In that moment I saw her differently than I had before. Although she was small- and young- she was a predator. She was fierce. Her eyes were angry.
"When I was created- or should I say, when my brother and I were taken from my mother and father, murdered and turned into these monsters that we are now- it took me a long time to realize these things I can do. Alec got separated from me and I have searched for him a long time. When I find him, Alec and I will seek revenge upon those who created us. And God help whoever stands in our way." Her words, although soft, shook with rage.
"I am sorry that happened to you. But there is a more peaceful way of life. A way to be happy. We can help you find your brother." Carlisle offered to her, his eyes reaching out to her with his usual kindness. I felt the compassion he felt for her coming through his thoughts.
"Pass." She said. Without another word, we all felt another shock of intense pain, dropping lower to the ground in our crouches, writhing as the jolts passed through our bodies.

Jane didn't let up with her odd power of causing pain on us, but for whatever reason, she made no further move to destroy us. She looked into our amber eyes- they eyes that she questioned the first time she noticed us. Then she casually strolled out of the room. The pain continued for another intense ten seconds or so- a long time for a vampire- and then suddenly stopped. We knew without looking for her that Jane was long gone. For whatever reason she had chosen to let us live. And no matter what the odds- four against one, one against four- she had us outnumbered.

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